Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

It was "The Perfect Storm," a tempest created by so rare a convergence of factors — a hurricane from Bermuda, a Canadian cold front, and a storm from the Great Lakes — that it could not possibly have been worse. Boasting ferocious waves ten stories high and moaning winds approximately 120 miles an hour at the storm's height, the sea reached inconceivable levels few people on earth have ever seen or faced. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a 72-foot steel swordfish boat — one of the biggest moneymakers in the Gloucester, Massachusetts harbor — that disappeared without a trace in the storm's hellish heart off the coast of Nova Scotia.

With taut precision, journalist Sebastian Junger illuminates the dangerous yet lucrative trade of off-shore fishing and coolly recreates the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew; recounts the heroes and victims of daring rescues upon the ravaged sea; and offers candid accounts of others irrevocably changed by the storm. Brilliantly conceived, breathtakingly written, this unforgettably moving and fascinating narrative brings to life the savage fury of this incredible maelstrom, and of the courage, terror, and awe manifested at its peak.

Review:

"A superb book." Washington Post Book World

Review:

"Mesmerizing...Packs an emotional wallop." Boston Globe

Review:

"Impeccable research...supports this solid account. Junger expertly braids together the individual histories of the six-member crew of the doomed Andrea Gail with those of the economically depressed fishing town of Gloucester, Mass., and various New England fisheries. In lesser hands this amount of detail could sink a narrative. But here it comes together as a seamless chronicle in which weather itself emerges as the protagonist. Junger relates facts on everything from the physics of waves to the science of hurricanes....Despite all of its detail, however, what ultimately makes this a unique and admirable book is its portrayal of individual lives." Judith Bolton-Fasman, The Christian Science Monitor

Review:

"Junger's fine dramatic style is complemented by a wealth of details that flesh out the story: wave physics and water thermoclines; what it means if you see whitewater outside your porthole; where the terms mayday, ill-wind, and down East came from. Reading this gripping book is likely to make the would-be sailor feel both awed and a little frightened by nature's remorseless power." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"As with any true-adventure story, you wonder if you ought to be getting such a bang out of real people's real suffering. But in The Perfect Storm, we're sharers, not voyeurs. The book is a humanizing reminder that we, too, could  probably will  be called on to bear more than we could possibly imagine." Newsweek

Review:

"Guaranteed to blow readers away....A+." Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"Thrilling....Even if you have never been to sea, Junger's account will put frighteners on you." New York Times Book Review

Synopsis:

October 1991. It was "the perfect storm" — a tempest that may happen only once in a century — a nor'easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been worse. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour, the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat tragically headed towards its hellish center.

Synopsis:

The incredible true account of the most extraordinary storm of the 20th century, this is the story of a tempest born from so rare a combination of factors it was deemed "perfect" and of the doomed Boston boat with her crewof six fishermen that was helpless in the midst of a force beyond comprehension. Told in exquisite detail, this "New York Times" bestseller has already left an indelible impression on critics and readers everywhere.

About the Author

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont and Fire. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has been awarded a National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for journalism. He lives in New York City.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

maxfly60, January 21, 2010 (view all comments by maxfly60)
This book is the ideal blend of technical detail and human story, it set the standard for all the rest of the "true disaster story" genre that followed it. It also humbles you to get a glimpse of the power of forces beyond man's control as well as the courage of men to confront those forces.

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"Review"
by Judith Bolton-Fasman, The Christian Science Monitor,
"Impeccable research...supports this solid account. Junger expertly braids together the individual histories of the six-member crew of the doomed Andrea Gail with those of the economically depressed fishing town of Gloucester, Mass., and various New England fisheries. In lesser hands this amount of detail could sink a narrative. But here it comes together as a seamless chronicle in which weather itself emerges as the protagonist. Junger relates facts on everything from the physics of waves to the science of hurricanes....Despite all of its detail, however, what ultimately makes this a unique and admirable book is its portrayal of individual lives."

"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"Junger's fine dramatic style is complemented by a wealth of details that flesh out the story: wave physics and water thermoclines; what it means if you see whitewater outside your porthole; where the terms mayday, ill-wind, and down East came from. Reading this gripping book is likely to make the would-be sailor feel both awed and a little frightened by nature's remorseless power."

"Review"
by Newsweek,
"As with any true-adventure story, you wonder if you ought to be getting such a bang out of real people's real suffering. But in The Perfect Storm, we're sharers, not voyeurs. The book is a humanizing reminder that we, too, could  probably will  be called on to bear more than we could possibly imagine."

"Review"
by New York Times Book Review,
"Thrilling....Even if you have never been to sea, Junger's account will put frighteners on you."

"Synopsis"
by Harper Collins,
October 1991. It was "the perfect storm" — a tempest that may happen only once in a century — a nor'easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been worse. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour, the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat tragically headed towards its hellish center.

"Synopsis"
by Libri,
The incredible true account of the most extraordinary storm of the 20th century, this is the story of a tempest born from so rare a combination of factors it was deemed "perfect" and of the doomed Boston boat with her crewof six fishermen that was helpless in the midst of a force beyond comprehension. Told in exquisite detail, this "New York Times" bestseller has already left an indelible impression on critics and readers everywhere.

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